Phelps, playing with reigning Masters champion Bubba Watson, landed his tee shot at the par-3, stadium-enclosed 16 on the green but watched it catch a slope and roll off - igniting the customary booing.

Phelps, who told Golf Channel he considered pulling out a Speedo to feel more comfortable in front of the crowds, was nervous throughout his round. His gallery was by far the largest, and the vast majority of the 47,000 in attendance saw him hit at least one shot.

"I felt my heart was going to jump out of my chest," Phelps said of the Loudest Show on Turf. "It was something that was pretty cool, something I've never seen before and something I've never experienced.

"I was very nervous and my club was like shaking as I'm over the ball. I just pretty much had to try to swing the club as fast as I could. It's wild," he said. "I've never heard people boo you. I'm sure it's happened. My face is just underwater.

"... Hopefully I have a chance to come back and play again. It's a great event. I had a blast today, and being able to play with Bubba, it's something else. We were throwing jokes back and forth the whole entire time and keeping it very light."

That started on the first hole, when Watson interrupted Phelps just as he was about to pull the trigger with his first tee shot. Phelps - who joked that Watson gave him a hard time all around the course instead of golf tips - hit one of his best shots despite the distraction.

"I had like the best drive of the day, and he's like, 'I think you're ahead of me.' Then he's like, 'Actually, no, there's absolutely no shot. I know exactly where your ball landed, and there's absolutely zero shot you're ahead of me.'

" â?¦ He really is a very talented person. It's just amazing to me how much power he has and how fast he comes to the ball."

Watson joked that the best part of Phelps' game was "that he's done with 18 holes. No, the best thing is his mental drive to get better. He wants to compete, and he wants to play this game because it's a frustrating game. And his short game, you can see where he's going to have a good touch when he gets some practice in."

Phelps, who signed with Ping to play the company's clubs and is Hank Haney's student for The Haney Project on Golf Channel, has caught the golf bug and is intent on getting much better.

"It's the most humbling sport in the world," Phelps said. "I literally don't think I've ever done anything where I can't like semi pick it up. It's been a challenge and a struggle, but I have been able to pick up some things along the way and make my game better and stronger and more consistent, but it's just not at the point where I want it to be.

"Being able to work with Hank I think is a great way for me to be able to get there. We're finishing up the season now, but hopefully in the future I can continue to work with him."

Phelps is on his way to the Super Bowl.

"I'm a Baltimore boy, so I'm cheering for the Big Man, and hopefully Ray (Lewis) can have a shot at another one. He's been telling me all year he just wants to get back there. This is kind of icing on the cake, and hopefully he can be in the center of that field on Sunday night and hoisting the championship trophy."